Recluse
by Gomes
Summary: [GC] “Well, it’s more like ‘what’ is hiding ...”


TITLE : Recluse

AUTHOR : Gomey

ARCHIVE : Anywhere - just let me know so I can brag ... hehe.

RATING : R

SPOILERS : None

DISCLAIMER : All known characters and premises belong to their respective owners. So there.

SUMMARY : "Well, it's more like 'what' is hiding ..."

NOTES : My response to the Graveshift February challenge.

* * *

Catherine walked passed her supervisor's office and skidded to a halt. Backpedalling, she leaned back, peering in through the open door. "What's with the new carpet?" She asked, resting against the doorframe. 

"It's a shag carpet." Gil replied with a certain disinterested air.

Catherine gazed at him, a grin forming as she took in his rather vulnerable position: on his hands and knees, on the floor. "Hmm...shag carpet, that provocative pose - I think I can successfully file for sexual harassment."

He glanced back over his shoulder, confusion running rampant over his features. "What the hell are you talking about?"

There was a minute amount of ire that seeped past his lips, but Catherine just as quickly dismissed it. They held gaze for a few moments before he returned to the task at hand, which Catherine still hadn't figured out. She stepped into his office, approaching her supervisor. "I don't know, wagging your tail like that ... a gal can get the wrong idea." She was now standing directly behind him, her eyes falling to his behind. Bending down, she gave him a playful smack. "... or the -right- idea."

He jerked forward slightly, and sighed loudly in response.

She grinned: he was irritated. God how she loved it when he was angry - the way his eyes would darken and his lip would fall into a tantalizing pout. She forcibly closed her eyes, filtering out such carnal thoughts, deeming it neither the place nor time for such pensive delights. She began to whistle tunelessly, glancing around his office, taking in every detail, just as she had done countless times before. It never ceased to amaze her; no matter how many times she studied his surroundings, each view would offer new discoveries.

He glanced up at her, tired and cranky. "If you have nothing better to do, why don't you help."

She shrugged, getting down on her hands and knees, mimicking his pose. "So ..."

"Shhh!"

Her head snapped to his form, taking in his concentrated stature. She watched his hands lightly caress the carpet, barely touching it but still knowing that he felt ever single fibre that brushed the underneath of his palm. Her mind's eye conjured up those hands exploring the terrain of her body, caressing the skin, seeking out the heated flesh. She bit her lower lip, trying to curb such thoughts, berating herself for becoming some sort of sex-fiend. "So uh ... what am I looking for?"

He hesitated slightly, glancing at a plastic container before back at the floor. "Oh ... you'll know when you find it."

She pressed her hand into the carpet, leaning her weight over and peering around. "Can you give me a hint?"

"No."

"No?" She glanced at him, noting his nervous nature. "What are you hiding?"

His eyes jumped to hers, sheepish in their presentation. "Well, it's more like 'what' is hiding ..." He began, though his words were interrupted by his partner's shriek.

"What the hell Gil! Why didn't you tell me!" Petrified, she didn't move a muscle, scared of frightening the beast into attack.

"Relax ... it's basically harmless."He assured her, making small kissing noises in a vain attempt to coax the spider back into it's domain. "Loxosceles reclusa ... they belong to the order of the Araneae." He explained, though his being was fully focussed on locating the elusive arachnid.

"That's disgusting Gil!"

"Look, he's not aggressive, so you have nothing to worry about. And you can easily spot him; the Brown Recluse spider is also known as the Violin spider, due to the distinct violin-shaped patch on its cephalothorax."

"And what part of your logical side incited you to allow your new-best friend to play on a -brown- shag carpet!" She squeaked with fear as her hands trembled over the carpet. "And Brown Recluse ... wow, talk about a match made in heaven." She dead panned.

He ignored her comments, though a small smile did quickly appear. "I wanted to see how well he would camouflage himself ..." His tone was almost sheepish, and Catherine fought the strong urge to tackle him to the floor. "But don't worry - their bites pretty much only cause a long-lasting sore."

"Pretty much!" She repeated his statement, eyes wide with terror.

"It involves tissue death and only if you have a severe action to it, will it become life threatening ... but that's only in extreme cases." He shrugged, his eyes focussing on a point. "Gotcha ..." He whispered, and when to reach for it. Suddenly, the spider darted towards Catherine.

Without second thought, she jumped on the nearest thing that would offer her distance from the floor which possibly held her desperate fear. Unfortunately, the nearest 'thing' happened to be the man who had casually bid help in the first place.

Gil groaned and tried to remain strong as he felt her jump and straddle his back, sitting atop of him like he was a horse of some nature. "Cath ..." He whined, feeling his arms grow slightly tired. "Cath, you and I are both too old to play horsey." He muttered, his eyes perusing the perimeters.

Creepy-crawly momentarily forgotten, she leaned down, her chest pressing against his back while her legs were still wrapped securely around his waist. "You didn't say that last time I called you my noble steed." She purred in his ear, brushing her hand through his hair. "Last night ... you were quite the stallion." She grinned, feeling him moan slightly as her foot gently massaged his growing arousal.

"Cath ... no, Cath not now. I have to find Belvedere."

She paused, ceasing her ministering which finally allowed him to breathe a bit. "Who's Belvedere?"

"My new best friend."

She grimaced and pressed herself closer to him, shuddering at the mere thought that a spider could and possibly was running rampant. "Disgusting, Gil..." She pouted, her eyes scanning the room, though more out of fear than actual aid. She groaned aloud. "How did I let you talk me into helping you?"

He shrugged, offering her a casual reply. "Charm, good looks, leadership, respect, friendship, devotion ... you take your pick."

"My, aren't we cheeky today." She gave his buttocks another slap, feeling his whole body jerk in response.

"Hey, that's no way to treat your stallion." He joked, chuckling along with her. Suddenly he paused. "Don't move ..." He whispered, creeping slowly forward with Catherine still balanced on his back.

"Found it?" She whispered back, trying to peer over his shoulder.

Gil grinned and gently picked up his spider, giving it a small nudge into it's terrarium.

"Did you find it, Gil?" She began to whine which only aided in conjuring mischief in his mind.

"No ... not yet, but my Spidey senses tell me it's close." He discreetly brought his left hand towards the right side of his body, crossing it in front of his chest. His fingers blindly felt the material of her pant leg, and he slowly lifted up her pant leg until his nail gently grazed her skin.

She screamed and kicked her leg, accidentally hooking it around his waist and kicking him in the gut,

causing Gil to collapse on the ground, winded and seriously reconsidering ever teasing her again.

Catherine tumbled off his back, and quickly crawled to his side, fear of spiders soon forgotten. "Oh Gil - sweetie, are you okay?" She helped turn him on his back, placing her hands over his, that rested on his tummy. "I'm so sorry, I think I felt it crawl up my leg - "

"No no ... that was me and my stupidity."

"What?"

He pointed to his terrarium where Belvedere was now busy remodelling his web.

Catherine huffed, folding her arms across her chest. "Well you deserved it - you shouldn't have played that rotten trick." She waited slightly and glanced over at Gil, who was lying dead-wood straight, no movement what-so-ever. "Gil?" Her voice was small and child-like. She poked him in the side.

He tried not to grin, instead focussing on keeping his body in a meditative state in order to fuel his perverted desire to tease.

"Gil..."

He prayed she would check his pulse at the wrist, hoping she would find Belvedere's 'love bite'. Prayers answered, he felt her arm grasp his forearm, sliding down to his wrist.

Catherine flipped his arm over and screeched, letting it fall against the floor. "Oh God, oh God, of God..." She stood up and nervously began to pace the room, hands gripping hair, frantic movements ensuing.

"Mm...I love it when you chant like that."

She gasped, turning on her heel to stare at the man who was now lying on his side, propped up on his elbow. Posing. Clenched teeth offered her threats. "You bastard."

He guffawed which only irked her even more. "Cath, you should have seen your face!" He held up his wrist. "I was a little to rough with Belvedere yesterday." Glancing at her, a Cheshire smile surfaced. "I guess you're the only one who likes it rough."

"Why you ..."

He let out a loud exhalation as she tackled him, trying vainly to wrestle him into submission. "C'mon Cath ..." He laughed, though now growing out of breath. "Hey, quit it!" He squirmed as she began to rub him through his pants, deeming it unfair play. "You play dirty!"

"You like it dirty!"

"I'll sick Belvedere on you!"

"You wouldn't dare!" She shrieked, eyes growing wide as she observed him reach for the small terrarium. "Gil no!"

He reached in, despite the desperate attempts from Catherine's behalf, to stop him. Pretending to scoop up the spider, he instead picked up a little ball of brown fluff that he had placed inside, as decoration. With a quick flick of the wrist, he tossed it in Catherine's direction.

The scream could have been deemed blood curdling, and she got up and bolted down the hall, towards the bathroom, muttering streams of curse words directed at the blue-eyed man.

Gil chuckled and quickly gave chase, feeling a small pang of guilt for teasing her endlessly. "Cath, honey - it was only a ball of fluff!" He called out, ignoring the two bodies that were standing outside his door.

Warrick and Nick both watched their supervisor jog after a furious strawberry-blonde. "Man, if that's what it's like when senility kicks in - I don't ever want to grow old." Nick muttered, before both men turned and headed towards the parking lot.

–Finis–


End file.
